Birds
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus · also called spotted towhees
Deep within a tangle of western chaparral, an unmistakable rustling and scratching gives away a spotted towhee working through dry leaf litter, its bold white wing spots and red eyes glimpsed only briefly as it darts back into cover.
Overview
The spotted towhee, Pipilo maculatus, is a strikingly patterned ground-foraging songbird native to shrubby forest edge, chaparral, and dense undergrowth across a broad range of western North America. Its distinctive double-footed scratching technique, bold white spotting, and secretive habits within dense cover make it one of the more behaviourally distinctive sparrows of the American West.
A forager that announces itself by sound
Rather than relying on sight alone, the spotted towhee’s noisy, double-footed scratching through leaf litter often reveals its presence well before its striking black-and-white pattern comes into view.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and common across suitable shrubby habitat throughout western North America.
Spotted Towhee: common questions
Why does the spotted towhee scratch the ground with both feet?
This species forages by hopping forward and then scratching backward through leaf litter with both feet at the same time, a technique that quickly clears away debris to expose seeds and invertebrates hidden underneath, and the resulting rustling noise is often the first clue to a bird's presence within dense shrubby cover.
How can you identify a spotted towhee?
Look for a solid black head and upper body, striking red eyes, and bold white spots scattered across the wings and back, a combination of features that sets this species apart from other towhees and most other ground-foraging songbirds sharing similar shrubby habitat.
Why is the spotted towhee more often heard than seen?
This species spends much of its time low within dense shrubby cover, foraging and moving through vegetation that keeps it largely hidden from view, so its distinctive ground-scratching sounds, buzzy song, and sharp mewing call are often the most reliable way to detect its presence.
Where does the spotted towhee live?
This species is native to shrubby forest edge, chaparral, and dense undergrowth across a broad range of western North America, generally favouring habitat with enough low, dense cover to forage and hide within.